Rizzo, Abreu Have Hits of Differing Impact

June 1, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Sunday smorgasbord: Given a day off, first baseman Anthony Rizzo hit two two-run home runs for the Chicago Cubs in their 8-0 victory over the Brewers in Milwaukee on Saturday. So, obviously, what this means is Rizzo should have more days off so he will hit more home runs. As any deluded Cubs fan can tell you, with two days off he would have hit four two-run home runs. Do that math! Or not.

Congratulations to Ashley Kaltwasser for winning the Toronto IFBB Pro Bikini competition.

* Speaking of Chicago first basemen, White Sox slugger Jose Abreu, who is expected to come off the disabled list Monay, went through a simumlated game before the team’s home game against the San Diego Padres. He was hit with a pitch. No big deal, based on reports from media on the scene. Gee, and some of us were hoping the errant pitch would spark a simulated bench-clearing brawl. Oh, well.

* Speaking of Abreu, if the Sox want to simulate big-league pitching, they might want to think about using an actual big-league pitcher. OK, how about an actual pitcher. Instead they had Bradley Salgado — a converted shortstop — throw to Abreu. With another simulated session scheduled before Sunday’s game (also apparently against minor-league pitchers), the Sox might to make sure any insurance policy they might have on Abreu is up-to-date.

* Speaking of real big-league pitchers, Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel improved to 6-3 with seven scoreless innings. He is a candidate to be traded this season. Then again, who on the Cubs roster isn’t? Or shouldn’t be? Something says Hammel, 31, would bring back more in a deal than Jeff Samardzija — mainly because the Cubs’ asking price for Samardzija may be too high. Hammel is not part of the Cubs future. He will be retired before the Cubs challenge for a postseason berth — and that’s even if he pitches into the third decade of this century.

* In case the Chicago Bulls were wondering how to run a successful (on-court, that is) franchise, they want to look at the San Antonio Spurs, who defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night to capture the Western Conference title and reach the NBA finals for the second consecutive season. The Spurs do an outstanding job of acquiring personnel, having a coach who maximizes his talent and is adept at winning regular-season games while giving bench players plenty of minutes so that his veterans are well-rested for a long playoff run.

* Speaking of the Bulls and Cubs and White Sox an Blackhawks (OK, we weren’t but we are now), WGN America reportedly will be dropping telecasts of those teams in the fairly near future (whatever that means). What it does mean is the teams’ reach won’t be as great as it has been. And it’s also probably a reflection on the teams’ — other than the Hawks’ — recent performance. Hey, it was fun while it lasted for folks outside the Chicago area.

* Speaking of the Spurs (a paragraph or so ago), former Bulls guard Marco Belinelli will be going to the finals vs. the Miami Heat. he made one basket — a three-pointer — in two field-goal attempts. It was a big basket in the fourth quarter. Hey, without it, you never know what might have happened. And, yes, the Bulls could have used him this season. And, no, it wouldn’t have made a difference in the Bulls’ postseason run.

* Speaking of Cubs prospects (OK, we really weren’t), the difference between the defending National League champion St. Louis Cardinals and the Cubs seems clear. While the Cubs talk about ballplayers in the minors, the Cards bring up their top hitting prospect, outfielder Oscar Taveras. In his second big-league at-bat he breaks a scoreless tie with a home run, as the Cards beat the San Francisco Giants 2-0. Meaning he has nine fewer home runs than Rizzo in 183 fewer at-bats. And Taveras is 21. And to think there might be some Cubs fans thought their organization was the only one with minor leaguers who had big-league star potential.

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